The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: macgro7 on February 05, 2017, 09:04:33 pm
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Anyone tried raising pheasants as meat birds instead of shooting?
My friend tried some time ago but as he didn't have much space they proved to wild. Can't free range then ever so need fairly large aviary.
I can construct an aviary approximately 4x4 metres with covered roof and I'm considering using it either for chickens (breeding pen) or quartet of pheasants as they sell cheap at this time of year.
What do you think?
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I don't think you will make money raising them for meat. For what I know one of our local farmers raises them for shooting as the local butcher would only pay 50p per bird. that may have changed as this was a few years ago.
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We buy ours in at 6 weeks for £3.50 and finish them in release pens on the shoot.
They will be about 80p - £1 at day olds.
After we all take a brace we sell what's left to the game dealer for 30p each.
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I meant raising them for meat only for our own consumption.
The local shoot in Leicestershire charges £600 per day + £80 per every pheasant shot.
I wish I owned the estate lol
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We once had a hen pheasant lay every afternoon in a quiet spot in the veg. garden, start to brood 12 eggs then get eaten by the fox that night. I put the eggs under a broody hen and raised them as I would chicks (their foster Mama was a bit puzzled as to why they didn't come to her call and tried to fly up in the air every time anyone came near the coop). I kept them in until I judged they were able to fly - which they then did - straight up to the top of the barn roof. They hung around the wild bird feeder all Winter, though.
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Hi mate, what I was getting at is as a carcass they are only worth 30p.
I know you want to rear them yourself but they are more difficult than chickens and with a large secure pen required is it worth it when you could buy them off a local shoot for under a quid.